Love Me Like You Do
by nocturnalbeauty
Summary: My life has always been average. I had a routine, an apartment I couldn't wait to go home to every night, and great friends. No reason to hope for anything different... Until I met them. They walked into my life, shattered everything I believed made me happy, and I loved them all the more for it. BxExEm. Poly. HEA. AH. M for language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story has been weighing on my mind for the past few months. Instead of working on_ Where We Come From _like I should (I will, I promise!), I decided to start putting this one on paper. It's a poly-fic, so I feel the need to warn those who don't feel comfortable with this to move on._

 _I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, but I do own this plot._

 _I'm also looking for a beta and pre-readers, so feel free to reach out!_

 _Xoxo._

 **Chapter One**

 _Huff._

 _Huff._

"Ugh, I'm so out of shape. I don't know how you can do this every day, Ali."

She glanced at me with a playful smirk on her lips, and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Babe, I have to keep my man's attention somehow!" She replied with a wink.

As out of breath as I was, I couldn't contain the laughter that burst out of my mouth.

"You've been with the same guy since high school, I'm sure it's safe to say he wouldn't go to anyone else, even if you weren't in the shape that you are."

"Oh, I know!" She said with a giggle. "He knows I'd cut his balls off if he even thought about it." I didn't doubt it. Regardless of Alice's small size, she was built like a mini G.I. Jane. At 4'11", she was thin - maybe 110 pounds, soaking wet - but had firm muscles.

She was one of toughest people I knew. One could be fooled by her small size, cute face, and big green eyes, but there was a whole other side of her that waited to be unleashed if the occasion arose.

We continued chatting mindlessly as we worked through our regimen. We stopped once to drink some water before continuing.

We were done before I even knew it, picking up our belongings and making our way to the ladies locker rooms.

"I'm so beat," said Ali, throwing her duffel onto the bench to open the locker door. "I can't wait to go home and have a glass of wine!"

"I'm sure you have more than enough to indulge with Jazz's wine collection." I opened the door to the locker I had and took out the extra set of clothing I had brought in. "We should have a girls' night soon. I'm sure Rose would love to join in."

"Absolutely. I haven't seen her in a while… Probably since she had little Henry." I nodded, as I hadn't seen her since around the same time. She and her husband, Royce, had welcomed a little boy they named Henry. We had both been present for the birth, but she'd fallen off the grid since she was discharged. "I'm not trying to come off as insensitive when I say this but really, how hard is it to pick up the phone and shoot off a text? I mean, it's not like we don't want to be around the baby."

"I don't know, Ali. There's a million possible reasons." I dropped the subject, guilt peering out as we spoke about our best friend. Thankfully, she let it go and said we should take a quick shower before leaving. We were lucky enough that the showers were empty by the time we needed them. Alice went to one end, and I went to the other.

I was done quickly, within five minutes, but Alice's definition of quick has never been the same as mine. She said it was because she loved the feel of the water falling against her skin after an intense workout. I normally shrugged it off, since we had done the same regimen.

As I sat on the bench waiting for her to finish, my phone buzzed an alert for an unread text message. Opening it, I saw it was from my mother.

" _Dinner tonight at 7. Guests are coming, so dress appropriately. Mom"_

"Ali!" I called to her as she came back wrapped in a towel. "Call Jazz. Tell him you're going to be running late. I need your help." I held up my phone to her, with the text message still open, and she nodded without question.

My best friend truly was a godsend. She had impeccable fashion sense and could do a makeover in minutes. She loved the opportunity to play _Bella Barbie_ , and that night was no exception. She teased and curled my hair until it was voluminous; she did my makeup - a neutral smokey eye with pink lipstick. My mother would have definitely approved of the outfit Ali chose: a dark pair of skinny jeans with a thin pink sweater and black boots, she also added a pair of pearl studs and matching bracelet.

She handed me my purse as we stood by the front door to my apartment, going over the details for our next meet-up later that week. She placed a kiss on both of my cheeks before walking with me to the parking garage.

"Don't forget to call me tonight or in the morning if you're too tired to spill all the deets." I threw my head back in laughter and nodded, promising to call the next day. With a final goodbye, we each got into our cars and drove away.

* * *

The drive to my mother's house wasn't terrible. Thankfully, traffic had died down and it was quick drive. I arrived at my mother's house around a quarter to seven. Phil, her newest conquest, was standing outside smoking a cigarette as I pulled into the driveway. He waved enthusiastically as I got out of the car.

"Bella!" He exclaimed, meeting me halfway down the driveway. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Phil." I said, giving him a hug. He placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me towards the house.

"Your mother's been anticipating your visit for a while now. How did she manage to get you to come?"

"She said to come over for dinner and that she had some people coming over."

"Oh, yeah! The Cullen's are coming over for dinner with their son and his friend. You know the Cullen's, right?" I shook my head in the negative. "Dr. Cullen's the chief of surgery at the Seattle Children's Hospital; his wife, Esme, works as a freelance interior designer; their son, Edward, is a pediatrician at the same hospital and he's bringing his friend, Emmett."

He continued talking about how they met the Cullen's, but I tuned him out. He guided me inside, taking my wind breaker, and called for my mother. She came down the stairs looking frazzled, anxious. She was dressed impeccably - with not a hair out of place, in one her favorite pant suits and red pumps. She was the same as she'd always been.

"Isabella! You're late," she said, glancing at her watch.

"You said to be here by 7, mother."

"I didn't mean that literally. I figured you'd be here sooner is all."

"I'm sorry. I had other things I needed to do," I tried to keep the snark out of my voice, knowing an argument is not something either of us wanted. "I'm here now, and with some time to spare." Phil wrapped his arms around her in support, whispering what I assumed were calming words into her ear.

She sighed, dropping the matter. "At least you're here," she muttered.

"Renee," warned Phil. I could hear the crunching of gravel before I saw headlights through the front windows. "Our guests are here. Behave, please."

We both nodded, hoping it would appease him long enough to answer the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I'm hoping to be posting every Wednesday until this story is complete. For the months of December and January, updates will be every other Wednesday since I'll be unpacking and settling in from our move to Tennessee._

 _I'd also like to send a special thank you to my lovely pre-reader, Ali OMalley Cat. You've been such great help so far in this journey, and I'm beyond excited to be working with you! :)_

 _Happy hump day and happy reading, y'all!_

 **Chapter Two**

Dinner with the Cullen's was a quiet affair. Mom and Phil kept the conversation flowing while I sipped anxiously on my wine. We had tried to wait for their son and his friend before starting our meal but the food had gotten too cold, so we settled on waiting for them to join us for dessert.

I had been studying the painting over the serving buffet when a loud vibration stole my attention. Dr. Cullen grabbed his phone and excused himself to answer.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he said, getting up from his chair and entering the kitchen.

There was nothing Renee hated more than phone interruptions at the dinner table. Maybe it was her overly traditional upbringing, but she had always said "there's no reason to have your phone with you when at the table.", and there was no doubt that was what was going through her head. Her cheeks turned an unattractive shade of red and I could tell, by the tell-tale crinkling in her face, that she was fuming inside.

"I must apologize, Renee. It's probably Edward checking in." With the conversation halted, I could hear the good doctor's hushed responses to whoever was on the phone with him. From where I sat, I could tell he was pacing from the sound of his heavy footsteps. "Bella," she said, claiming my attention. "What is it you're doing now, dear?"

I cleared my throat and dabbed my lips with a napkin before answering, "I'm currently working as a librarian at Nathan Hale high school."

Mrs. Cullen, Esme as she insisted I call her, hummed. "That must be interesting work. Your degree was in English literature, am I right?"

I nodded in response, taking another sip of my wine. "Yes, I graduated from U-Dub three years ago."

"How wonderful! Edward went to their college of medicine for pediatrics, but he graduated a year or two before you."

"Is it possible you know Edward from school, Isabella?" My mother chimed in, not wanting to be excluded from the conversation.

"It's very unlikely. I rented an apartment off campus, not to mention that we wouldn't have had any classes together."

"That's unfortunate. I'm sure you'll get along famously when you do meet," said Esme, a knowing glint in her eyes.

I could only nod. I found myself without a witty or even intelligible response. I continued sipping from my wine while Esme and my mother chatted about whatever gossip had been circulating around the church they attended.

I pretended to listen as I counted the seconds until the doctor came back. Renee and Esme were cackling like hens over whatever was said between them, and Carlisle asked Phil to join him in greeting his son at the door.

I could hear multiple voices down the hall from where I sat, as the voices made their way back to the dining room. Looking up from my lap, I noticed two younger men standing in between Carlisle and Phil.

"Look who's here, Es," said Carlisle. He motioned towards the one standing closest to him.

"Edward!" Esme placed her napkin down on the table, brushed off her skirt, and stood to embrace one of the men. "I've missed you, sweetheart. You work too hard." She placed a kiss on his cheek, before moving to squeeze the second man around his waist. "You too, Emmett. It's been too long since we've seen you."

I fought to keep my composure as I watched their interaction. They were both incredibly gorgeous, each in their own way. Edward was tall - definitely over six feet. He was slim but muscular, with reddish brown hair, fair skin, emerald green eyes, and a playful smirk on his lips. He appeared to have recently gotten out of work since he was still wearing scrubs. Emmett, on the other hand, was taller than Edward by a few inched. He had wavy brown hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and a wide, dimpled smile. He had a wider build, with broad shoulders that could be compared to those of a football player, and muscular. He was dressed casually in a pair of dark wash jeans and a maroon button down shirt that he had tucked into his jeans

"Renee, Phil, you've met the boys before. Bella, this is my son, Edward, and his closest friend, Emmett."

"Sorry we're late, everyone," said Edward. His voice was like velvet, and caused my arms to break out in goosebumps. "It's nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Dwyer, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." He flashed his wide smile, approaching me with his hand extended.

I shook his hand, but dropped it immediately as a shock ran up my arm. I had to look away from him, instead focusing on introducing myself to Emmett.

"Bella Swan; it's nice to meet you." He took my hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He placed a soft kiss, sending shivers down my spine.

"Emmett McCarthy - the pleasure's all mine." He smiled widely, showing off his dimples and his eyes crinkling at the edges.

* * *

After Edward and Emmett arrived, we all sat around the sectional that was by the brick fireplace in Renee and Phil's living room with dessert, glasses of wine, and beer. The room was filled with mindless chatter as the clock continued ticking.

By the time I was getting ready to leave, it was already close to midnight. The sky was pitch black, the moon was hidden behind thick gray clouds, and the air was chilly. Getting up from the comfortable sofa, I gathered my thin coat and handbag, and said my goodbyes.

"Call me tomorrow," commanded my mother. "And at least text us when you get home, alright?"

"I will, I promise," I said, giving her shoulders a light squeeze.

Esme stood by her husband, their hands clasped together as she said, "Have a safe drive home, dear."

I mumbled goodbye to the remaining group before getting in my car and starting the hour drive home, humming to the music playing on the radio.

* * *

The days following the dinner at Renee's house with the Cullen's went by painfully slow. It got to the point where the days felt never ending. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward and Emmett. They both made my body react in ways I had never experienced - my heart raced when our bodies were in close proximity, and I couldn't stop the shocks that ran through my body every time we touched.

As I layed in bed, I couldn't keep my thoughts under control. I wondered what would happen if I let go, and gave in to my emotions. Would they freak out because I was attracted to both of them? But then again, it was much more than a simple attraction, and I was sure they felt it too.

Nearly a week later, I was still struggling to fight off thoughts of the two handsome men that haunted my dreams. I couldn't stop thinking about how I felt in their arms, how their eyes shone when we spoke, how goosebumps and shivers coursed through me whenever our skin touched… It was an unmistakable and unfamiliar electricity that surged between us.

Was I the only one who felt it?

Surely not.


End file.
